I live in Tampa and am a die hard REDSOX FAN...imagine all the sh it im taking right now!!! Carl Crawford will be ok...he is way to good a player to give up on him after 1 year. The guy is an excellent player who came from a small market team with a mgr who knew how to use him. Horrible Francona should of looked at how Maddon used him. He came into a big market team under a lot of pressure from that giant contract (the price for him was driven up just like Lackeys and all the other players that sign contracts in todays game) he signed. I love Ellsburry and he had an excellent year. Why didnt Tito(maddon didnt hit him first but its not as bad as those many throw away games that Francona threw away at the beginning of the season)try Carl Crawfod at first,Ells at second,Pedroia third,A Gon fourth,Ortiz fifth,Youk sixth,Drew seventh,Scutaro 8th,Salty 9th...something like that....just for a game or so. My point is Crawford will be back next year and when he is he will be great part of this line up.

I live in Tampa and am a die hard REDSOX FAN...imagine all the sh it im taking right now!!! Carl Crawford will be ok...he is way to good a player to give up on him after 1 year. The guy is an excellent player who came from a small market team with a mgr who knew how to use him. Horrible Francona should of looked at how Maddon used him. He came into a big market team under a lot of pressure from that giant contract (the price for him was driven up just like Lackeys and all the other players that sign contracts in todays game) he signed. I love Ellsburry and he had an excellent year. Why didnt Tito(maddon didnt hit him first but its not as bad as those many throw away games that Francona threw away at the beginning of the season)try Carl Crawfod at first,Ells at second,Pedroia third,A Gon fourth,Ortiz fifth,Youk sixth,Drew seventh,Scutaro 8th,Salty 9th...something like that....just for a game or so. My point is Crawford will be back next year and when he is he will be great part of this line up. Posted by patriots1a2

I definitely agree with you. I have been criticized for defending Crawford most of the season, but still believe that he is just having a bad year. Next year will be a much better season for him.

I hope all of you are right. Unfortunately we have seen him play like a back up outfielder all year. At 30 this former speed merchant with limited fielding, throwing ability and more importantly poor batting fundamentals looks like a player who will never help them much.

Crawfords numbers have been very consistant. It won't be because of lack of effort. I say he returns to form. He is never going to be a big HR guy. But his career line is what we need. I am not sure how they can get both Jacoby and Crawford at the top with Pedey there. And Crawford is useless if hitting 5-8. Do you pay 20 mil for a number 9 hitter. Ultimately this could spell the end of Jacoby. His value will never be higher. And the Sox have always wanted King Felix. I can see them avoiding his monster contract and going after a ace like Felix.

And what if you're wrong and he sucks again in 2012? How many games or months into the season can we afford to have our $20,000,000 a year man drop catchable balls, not get on base, and have no positive impact on the game for us? In mid-May, when he still hasn't hit his 2nd home run and has 9 RBIs, do you guys admit that this was perhaps the worst free agent signing in history? In July, when his is still batting 8th because we have to hide him, do you admit his skills are gone, or at least in hibernation as long as he's working in a big market city? In September, when we need a big play in the outfield but get another almost catch, do you say "he'll be better in 2013? I guarantee you that when Theo inked that deal, Cashman was in his office laughing himself into an asthma attack. hey, I don't blame Carl completely. Theo is one who fell for this.

He was not the problem for the team. He is just struggle making adjustment with his hitting after playing on turf field in Tampa to Boston. Give him some time. Do not forget that he got alot of game winning RBI/hits from month of April to May. Without him doing that, who know Boston would still having sub .500 record. He turned the whole team around!!! Remember that!!

In someway, Crawford would love to try to use the wall, but sometime when he or sometime other new incoming players for Boston try to use the Green Monster wall too much, it could effect their stats. Like someone said it above, he will never be HR hitter. Since he batted like .150 in beginning, but probably batted over .275 since. If he stay as a .275 averge or higher for the next four years, I would not complain about it!!

Quit being hard on him. Blame the pitching before blaming all other players including AGonz!

I'm not worried about Crawford. He had a big hit last night ( should've had an rbi ) but no one will remember it because of a base running flub/ 3B coach flub. As far as his sliding missed-catch to end the game... it doesn't define him. It was a tough play. $20Mil a year, I hope he makes that catch, but far from "routine".

Crawfords numbers have been very consistant. It won't be because of lack of effort. I say he returns to form. He is never going to be a big HR guy. But his career line is what we need. I am not sure how they can get both Jacoby and Crawford at the top with Pedey there. And Crawford is useless if hitting 5-8. Do you pay 20 mil for a number 9 hitter. Ultimately this could spell the end of Jacoby. His value will never be higher. And the Sox have always wanted King Felix. I can see them avoiding his monster contract and going after a ace like Felix. Getting off track. Crawford will bounce back.Posted by shuperman

I really don't understand the initial post. "Crawford is talented but Tito needs to manage him like Maddon?" That wasn't and isn't an assumption. Crawford is a Ray because Maddon knows how to get in his head. He can "manage" Carl. You can see Crawford every night, right? He NEVER looks comfortable at the plate.

You guys are smart fans. You know that all players can't play at all places. I think he's very uncomfortable at Boston. Tampa is a very ethnic area conducive to him being comfortable. Small market. Racially indifferent. I just don't believe that CC can survive the verbal and mental lashings in your fair city. Just don't see it. And Carl won't say a word. He's simply not comfortable.

I expect Crawford to have a really good season. He's played really well in the AL East before, I think he can do it again in a Sox uniform. This just wasn;t our year. Unfortunetly we decided to start sucking really bad at the end of the year and that was it.

null, pretty much you nailed it. CC's issues are mental, not physical. His attitude is well terrible, and he doesn't fit well in Boston. I said this before they ever signed him that this guy was made for Tampa and Anaheim, but would not make it in Boston or New York. It's not due to lack of talent, but the Fish Bowl will get you and it will get you good. He started out miserably and it never got better. He just was terrible overall. When the team needed him to show up, he wasn't there. He was there in body, but his head was burnt gone. He wouldn't steal bases, and it's funny go look at the 2011 highlight reel--how many times did he make a sensational catch? He was a regular on ESPN/MLB Channel as a Ray, almost nightly he would make a great play in the field. This year? he made a nice catch ironically in Baltimore on the ball in the stands....but his poor defense stood out this year, almost as much as his horrible, horrible swings v. lefties in general. He may have 6 years left on his contract, but it's almost like he will need 6 years of good baseball just to make people forget about 2011---I don't see it happening.

What we got is basically Carl. He has poor hitting fundmentals, limited baseball instincts, a weak arem and limited powere. He is around the 6th best offensive player we have pending a healthy Yuk. He will not be as productive here as JD was.

I live in Tampa and am a die hard REDSOX FAN...imagine all the sh it im taking right now!!! Carl Crawford will be ok...he is way to good a player to give up on him after 1 year. The guy is an excellent player who came from a small market team with a mgr who knew how to use him. Horrible Francona should of looked at how Maddon used him. He came into a big market team under a lot of pressure from that giant contract (the price for him was driven up just like Lackeys and all the other players that sign contracts in todays game) he signed. I love Ellsburry and he had an excellent year. Why didnt Tito(maddon didnt hit him first but its not as bad as those many throw away games that Francona threw away at the beginning of the season)try Carl Crawfod at first,Ells at second,Pedroia third,A Gon fourth,Ortiz fifth,Youk sixth,Drew seventh,Scutaro 8th,Salty 9th...something like that....just for a game or so. My point is Crawford will be back next year and when he is he will be great part of this line up. Posted by patriots1a2

I'm not sure that perplexing, lackluster effort on the game ending liner last night was forgivable. He doesn't care. I wouldn't be upset to see him sent packing.

No he won't, playing in tampa and playing in Boston are two different things. Damon blocked a trade here last year for a good reason. He went to tampa because at this point in his career, he did not want the media distractions.

I'll tell you this DC. Your biggest problem is if CC does DECENT for one year. Only enough to tease Tito and your front market. I just don't see Theo manning up with this move and trying to move him. How can you with the length of his contract? You can't "give" him back to an inter-conference Rays team. Anaheim, a Texas, or a Twins team, he would prosper.

Dude. It was a line drive at his feet. Most, no, probably almost no left fielder in baseball gets to that. Crawford is an atypical LF. Not your 30 HR guy out there schmucking up the place. That ball was there in a nanosecond. Sheeesh.

I'll tell you this DC. Your biggest problem is if CC does DECENT for one year. Only enough to tease Tito and your front market. I just don't see Theo manning up with this move and trying to move him. How can you with the length of his contract? You can't "give" him back to an inter-conference Rays team. Anaheim, a Texas, or a Twins team, he would prosper. He'll give you a .285 next year, tease .300, then flop. He's Maddons boy.Posted by null

Hard to say what CC wll do. It may be an a-ha moment though in his career. He can come back with a chip on his shoulder, but again, I just don't see it. That takes intestinal fortitude as they say, and he doesn't have that personal makeup that is required to be a superstar 142 mil player in Boston.